Simpler Times
by S-bell
Summary: This is a one-shot of things that happen to Bella when Edward doesn't come back in New Moon. There is no happy ending. It's called simpler times because Bella gets to go to the time when Edward was a human.


**Hey everyone. This is a one-shot about what Bella's future might have been like without Edward returning. It's very sad, and it's my first time writing in third person point of view. I hope you guys like it.**

Bella sat on the floor of her room, doing homework. It had been years since Edward left, and he still hadn't come back for her. It was her softmore year of college, she would just have to move on.

But she couldn't, not yet.

Again and again she put herself in life threatening danger just to hear his voice. She was addicted. She doubted she could leave the voice, even with Jacob's help, and Jake didn't even know about it.

Tears filled Bella's eyes as she slipped and thought of Alice. The thought luckly didn't rip open the gaping hole in her chest. She caught sight of a picture corner sticking out of her floor board.

Bella reached for the picture, and pulled it out. She took one glimpse at the photo of her eighteenth birthday-of what could have been with Edward-before flipping it over, her mind rejecting the pain. But it was too late. She gripped her sides, clawing at them, squeazing and gasping for air. She reached to flip the picture over again. Who cares now? She was alerady in pain. Might as well have one bright and shining light in the middle of hell.

She cried harder now, at the loss of a future. The loss of her soul mate. As she starts to calm down, she lays her head over the picture.

"I wish life could just go back to those simpler days. When nothing could truely get me down." She muttered into the face of her lost love. Then she fell into a soft sleep.

When Bella woke, she was no longer in the jeans and t-shirt that she had been wearing. Nor was she in her own room. She stood up and looked around. She was in someone's home. Where was this? Then she glanced at her clothing and figured she shouldn't be asking _where_ she was, but _when_. She was wearing clothes she had only seen in her history textbook and movies. A long dress, and she could feel the too-tight corset on her stomach evey time she tried to take a breath.

"Oh! Your up. Please, sit down. You had a nasty fall outside." A woman came in the room with a damp washcloth. She was in a similar dress, and had the brightest green eyes Bella had ever seen. She was gorgeous. "Fainted, from what it looked like. What fightened you so?" She went on. "And what, my dear, is your _name_?" She gave her a gentle push back on the couch and Bella sat gracefully. The answer came to her lips, but it was news to her that she fainted.

"It was this corset. I can hardly breathe! I'm Isabella Swan." Bella had no idea why she used her full first name. It seemed like she had no control over her own body.

"I'm Mrs. Mason, Miss Swan. It's nice to meet you. Though I wish they were under better circumstances. I saw you lying out front and I knew something was wrong. My son is studying to be a doctor, and I thought he might be able to take care of you."

"I appreacate all you've done for me. I should be going though, I didn't mean to intrude. By chance, would you have a news paper I could glance at?" Bella had to know what year it was before she started walking around. That, and where she was.

"Here. Edward was just reading it." She handed Bella a newspaper that said the year was 1917 in Chicago. Her mind suddenly caught up with what Mrs. Mason had just said. Edward. Bella waited for pain to tear through her, but it didn't happen. It was almost as if her wound was a dream.

"Edward?" Bella asked.

"Oh, yes. My son." A young man walked down the stairs and into the room. Bella saw his bright geen eyes, the carbon copy of his mothers', the lanky figure, and his unusually bronze colored hair and knew. Her wish had come true. She was in simpler times. Edward's time. She caught a glimpse of a small piano behind him. Of course. Bella smiled slightly.

"She's up? Mother, why didn't you come to get me? I have to make sure she's okay, you know." He gave her a sly smile as he sat on the other side of Bella. She blushed slightly.

"Well, she knows her own name, at least. Miss Isabella Swan." Mrs. Mason introduced.

"Wonderful to meet you. Your a beautiful girl." Bella's blush grew as Edward smiled at her.

"It's very nice to meet you, too Mr. Mason. I apologize for any trouble I might have caused you or your mother." Bella stood to leave.

"Don't go!" For a moment, Edward sounded like a child getting his favorite toy taken away. Then he became the hansome young man in front of her again. "I'm sure Father would love to meet you. Do stay for dinner Miss Swan. We would be honored to have you." Bella glanced at Mrs. Mason for the approval.

"Yes of course. Do stay. As Edward said, we would love to have you. Prehaps you can help me make dinner?" Mrs. Mason said.

"I'd love to help in anyway possible." Bella sat again between The mother and her son.

"Would you like a tour of the house, Miss Swan? I'd be happy to give you one." Mrs. Mason said.

"Please. And call me Isabella, both of you. Miss Swan is a bit too formal for me." Bella and Mrs. Mason stood and walked into a room that had to be a kitchen.

"Isabella, that's a beautiful name." Mrs Mason said, running her finger over the countertop.

"Thank you, Mrs. Mason." Bella blushed. It seemed like that was the only thing she was doing.

"Would you like some water or lemonade Isabella?" Mrs Mason asked, getting a glass from a cabinet.

"Water would be wonderful, thank you." Mrs. Mason filled the glass with water and handed it to her. Bella took a tentative sip.

"I wonder how long it will take Edward to ask for your hand . . ." Bella nealy spit up the water she was drinking. She managed to swalow in the end, though.

"Excuse me?" Bella sputtered.

"I apologize. It's just, Edward is very taken with you. He loves you, I can tell. As soon as I brought you in and he saw you. I could see it in his eyes." Mrs. Mason smiled, then took a step closer to Bella. "And you? I don't know you well enough yet to catch the spark in your eye. Would you be so apposed to marrying him?" They continued the tour of the house with the hallway and going up the stairs. Edward still sat on the couch where they left him. He glanced up as they passed.

"He's very hansome." Bella hedged around the question. Mrs Mason could tell by the blush though, that Isabella would want to marry him.

"You will make a good pair. Do you believe your parents would be against it? You must have thier blessing, Edward will insist." Bella hadn't thought about her parents once while she was here. Her dad was probably very worried about her. Prehaps he had already called her mother to warn her about thier daughter's mysterious disappearence.

But she didn't have time to worry about that. Mrs. Mason was standing here, as real as any of her family members were. And she was waiting for an answer.

"I don't believe that they will. I think that they'll be happy to give us thier blessing, but we'd have to ask them." Bella said.

"Of course. How old are you Isabella?" Mrs. Mason asked suddenly.

"I'm ninteen. Why do you ask?"

"You have wisdom beyond your years. It conflicted your young appearence." Bella laughed openly. Had Edward not told her the same thing three years ago? Mrs. Mason looked on in confusion.

"Many have told me that, including my own mother. I find it funny you realized it so quickly." Bella explained.

"I see. This is Edward's room." She gestured to a door. "My room. The music room." The last door was the only one she opened. Bella didn't go inside.

"Do you play?" Bella asked, already knowing the answer. It was Edward. He was the musical one. In Bella's spare time she had taken up piano lessons. The music kept Edward closer to her.

"A little. We really have this room for Edward. He loves music. It's wonderful, he plays almost everyday, so we have so much music in the house." Mrs. Mason went in the room, and Bella followed. Bella sat at the piano.

"May I?"

"You play?"

"A little."

"Go ahead, I'd love to hear it."

Bella began to play a song so dreanched in sorrow, Mrs. Mason had to sit down. It was the first song Bella had written, and she had been thinking about the loss of a future she had been counting on when it had poured out of her heart. While Bella was playing, a joyful tear slipped down her face and she closed her eyes. She was so greatful to whomever had granted her wish, so that she could have a second chance with Edward, even if it didn't last.

Edward slipped into the room unnoticed by Bella, after hearing the music he simply had to come up. While hearing it he felt as if a lost love had been finally found again, though he had never met this girl in his life, he was sure of that. He would have remembered her. The song brought out sad memories of times past, as he was sure it was ment to. When it was finished, he noted the few tears of his mother that had escaped.

Bella had a second tear run down her face as the song drifted to a close. She had her second chance, and that was all she needed for now. She would enjoy this moment while it lasted.

"That was so beautiful." Edward murmered. "And so melencholy. Did you write it?"

"Yes." Bella answered quietly.

"What made you so sad that you felt the need to write a song like that?" Edward continued, now sitting next to Bella on the bench.

"A lost love. A lost family and future." Bella responded.

"I'm so sorry. I can't even begin to imagine."

"I'll leave you two alone. I'm going to get a glass of lemonade." Mrs. Mason stood and left, a small smile on her face.

"What's up with her? Do you know, Isabella?" Edward asked, turning back to Bella.

"No idea. What were we talking about again?"

"I was telling you how I couldn't inagine what it was like losing a love."

"Oh, right."

"I can't inagine because I've never found anyone _to_ love. Until . . ." He trailed off.

"Until?" Bella asked.

"Until now." He said so quietly Bella almost missed it.

"I couldn't agree more. You wouldn't understand at this point. I only ask that when you meet me again, a long, long time from now, that you remember this conversation." Bella finished.

"Will you play for me again? Your music is beautiful, almost as much as you are." She smiled and her hands went to the keys again.

"Of course. For you, anything." This song was about the love that she and Edward shared. It was a song she wrote two years after he had left. There were harmonies that took you into the dangerous under currents of thier love. The main part though was the real, full hearted love that they shared. He should have known the only person she could move on with was him.

When she finished Edward's hand reached for hers. For the first time ever, Bella felt warmth in his hand. She openly stared in amazement. Edward noticed and moved his hand away.

"I apologize. I didn't know you'd mind, Isabella. It was wrong to think of, much less to do."

"Edward." Bella said, moving her hand to touch his again. The warmth made her smile. "Please, call me Bella." She kissed his cheek. She wouldn't usually make the first move like that, but she wasn't sure of how much time she had here, and she wasn't about to wait for Edward to kiss her. Who knew how long that could take?

Edward was blushing as Bella's lips met his cheek, and his eyes held all the suprise possible. He wasn't sure what was going on with her, but he knew this girl was diffrent form all the other girls his parents had tried to introduce him to. Diffrent in a good way, of course. If any of the girls his parents had brought home for him had tried that he would have pulled away with a stern face. But he had _enjoyed_ Bella's kiss. He wanted another.

"What brought that on?" He said despite himself.

"I know this may confuse you, but I'm so sure of you I could marry you tonight. I know you would love me until the day we died, and I would love you the same." Bella said. Edward looked like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

"I don't understand. Did we meet somewhere before? My heart had a reaction to your first song, and not a depressing one. It was like I was finding a lost love, though I've never loved anyone before you. I'm just so lost when it comes to you, Bella."

"That's how it should be. Edward, we've not really met yet. I'm suprised at your heart's reaction, but not disappointed by it. And Edward, we are finding our lost love." Bella stood.

"I should go. I've had my closure. Goodbye, Edward. I don't think I'll see you again anytime soon. I just want you to know, Edward, if you ever think of leaving me, think about how bad it would feel if I tore out your heart and lugs and left a gaping whole in it's wake." Edward winced.

"Do I leave you later?" He was starting to figure it out. Now Bella knew she _really_ had to get out of there.

"Yeah. For my own good, but I don't know how it ends yet. I really have to go Edward. Goodbye. Tell your mother she's a lovely woman. I was very lucky to have the chance to meet her." Bella started out the door. Edward stood and fallowed quickly.

"Wait one second, Bella." he grabbed her arm, and she willingly turned. He kissed her in a way he had never kissed her before. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back how she had always wanted to. The sharp teeth awaiting her behind his lips had always stopped them from going to far. That wasn't a problem at the moment though. His lips were warm, and they molded to fit hers. When they were out of breath they finally broke apart. Bella knew she would pay for this moment when she got back, but she didn't care.

"Goodbye, Edward. Maybe we'll meet again someday." Bella left with a fleeting glace at Edward's Chicago home. In one year he would nearly die and Carlisle would save him, and Edward would forget all about this conversation.

She walked around for awhile, trying to figure out how to get back home. She knew from her history class that Forks hadn't been founded yet, so the town didn't exist. She decided to try sleeping, scince that was what got her here. She found an empty allyway and layed down.

"I want to go back to confusing, problimatic times when I don't know what will come next." She wispered, and fell asleep.

When she woke up, she was back in her bedroom, holding the picture of her and Edward. She took a glace at the picture and thought for the first time since he had left of everything she had truely lost.

And she cried for those simpler times.

**So that's it. I'd love for a review or two. Does your heart hurt for Bella right now? Because mine did as I finished writing this. I know parts of this are cheesy, but I couldn't help myself. All I thought about to help me write this was that Edward had left Bella, and she wasn't going to change that, no matter how long she stayed with him.**

**Please Review.**


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